FICTION

Ugly Girls

by Lindsay Hunter
Farrar. Nov. 2014. 288p. ISBN 9780374533861. $26. F
COPY ISBN
Was innocence ever an option for Perry and Baby Girl? They've bonded over skipping school and joyriding in stolen cars, but what they really share is a deep sense of loss. Both are driven to keep on the move, twitching with the need to connect but never knowing how. The adults around them are failing as well. Jim, Perry's guardian angel stepfather, gives into despair and anger and loses his one chance to divert the unkind fate awaiting them all. One bad choice follows another, fear triumphs over compassion, and the whirlwind of hopelessness grows.
VERDICT Acclaimed short story writer Hunter's (Don't Kiss Me) debut novel is a gritty and unrelenting baring of lost souls that pulls readers along. The girls are not ugly, but their lives are. For readers with an appreciation of the dark and bitter. [See "Editors' Fall Picks," p. 27, LJ 9/1/14.]
Reviewed by Jan Blodgett, Davidson Coll. Lib., NC , Oct 15, 2014
Comment Policy:
  • Be respectful, and do not attack the author, people mentioned in the article, or other commenters. Take on the idea, not the messenger.
  • Don't use obscene, profane, or vulgar language.
  • Stay on point. Comments that stray from the topic at hand may be deleted.
  • Comments may be republished in print, online, or other forms of media.
  • If you see something objectionable, please let us know. Once a comment has been flagged, a staff member will investigate.

RELATED 

MEDIA

The Phoenix Bride
by Siegel, Natasha
GRAPHIC NOVELS

Spiral and Other Stories
by Koch, Aidan
FICTION

Not in Love
by Hazelwood, Ali
FICTION

Heads Will Roll
by Winning, Josh
FICTION

The Year of What If
by Patrick, Phaedra
GRAPHIC NOVELS

Anna
by Oberländer, Mia
More
ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?